Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Australia’s biggest city to express solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
About 15,000 attended the rally in Sydney on Saturday, organiser the Palestine Action Group said, with protesters chanting “free, free Palestine” and “down, down Israel”.
Thousands more Australians attended rallies in Perth, Brisbane and Hobart, with more pro-Palestinian events scheduled to take place on Sunday in Melbourne and Adelaide.
“It’s difficult, what has been broadcasted in the Western media is definitely not reflecting what is on the ground,” Abdullah Ali, who attended the Sydney rally, told reporters.
At least 4,137 people have been martyred in Gaza since Israel began its bombardment of the enclave in response to attacks by Hamas on October 7, according to Palestinian officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to continue the offensive on Gaza until the Palestinian armed group is eliminated amid expectations that Israeli troops will soon launch a ground invasion of the enclave.
